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James had a present of a big Jack-knife, and oh, how proud he was of it!
He whistled all day long, and at last made himself a nice boat, with
bowsprit, mast, and sail, all complete. James called his boat the
“Arrow,” for it would fly so swiftly when the wind was right. O how it
would go!
James had a sister Ella, near his own age, who was very fond of her
brother, and proud of the boat that he had made. The two always played
nicely together, and were never known to quarrel. James liked to please
Ella, and Ella liked to please James, so both were happy.
There was nothing James and Ella enjoyed more than wading in the shallow
water and guiding the little sail-boat—their newest toy. Ella called
James—“Captain”; and James called Ella—“Mate,” and as James wore a
sailor-suit he felt quite like a sea-faring man.
James was careful not to let his little boat get out into deep water,
for it had cost him a great deal of time and trouble to make it, and he
did not care to lose it. But one calm day the Captain and Mate had gone
for a drive, leaving the sail-boat in what they thought was a safe
place. While they were gone, a stiff breeze came up and blew the little
boat away from the shore, and it sailed, and sailed far out of sight.
Wasn’t that too bad?